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Friday, November 11, 2011

Almost 500 birds of 30 species were found dead at a wind farm in West Virginia in October. It appears that instead of colliding with wind turbines, they were attracted to the 250-watt floodlights at an electrical substation, where they either died from exhaustion or crashed into one of the substation's structures. The deaths happened during an overcast or foggy night, conditions when artificial lights are especially confusing to migratory birds.

Spruces along the edge of the tundra are growing faster as the climate warms. The news for northern forests is not all good, however, as warmer temperatures also increases the threat of wildfires in interior forests.

New research finds a decrease in the wintering population of Monarch butterflies in Mexico from 1994 to 2011. Habitat fragmentation in both breeding and wintering areas appears to be the major cause of their decline. This fall, drought in Texas and other southern states will pose an additional challenge for migrating Monarchs.